Ministry of Defence Spends Millions on Independent Schools to Avoid Welsh Education
The MoD spends approximately £1m each year to send students to independent educational institutions in north Wales because "state schools provide various lessons in the Welsh language".
It paid £1,019,000 in educational stipend in the northern region for eighty-three students of service personnel in 2024-2025, and nearly one million pounds for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a longstanding practice.
An official representative said "military families' children can experience regular relocations" and the stipend "aims to minimize disruption to their education".
The Welsh party called it a "total misuse of money" and "a disrespect to our tongue" while the Conservatives argued families should be able to select the language in which their kids are educated.
The figures were acquired following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The online portal of the military installation on the island tells its workforce, "for those residing and working in northern Wales, where public schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh language, you may choose to send your kids to an English-language private institution".
"As long as you are joined by your household at your duty station, you can utilize this benefit to cover the cost of tuition fees, educational excursions/residential educational courses and regular commuting."
A defense ministry representative explained, "the purpose of Day School Allowance in the northern region (the allowance) is to assist military households posted to the area, where Welsh is the main language of local state education".
"As mobility is a aspect of military career, military kids can face regular transfers and from this allowance aims to lessen interference to their education."
"The MoD acknowledges the contributions military members, and their families undertake, and through the stipend assists with the costs of independent day schooling given in the English language."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The allowance includes school costs up to a maximum of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, £7,585 each semester, and is accessible to personnel residing in the regions of the county, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey or the district and serving in these specific locations:
- RAF Valley, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, Anglesey
- The joint military mountain unit, the town
- The university military training program (the corps), Bangor unit, the city
The eligible independent institutions are Treffos institution, Llansadwrn, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's College, Llandudno.
The applicable military policy document confirms that "payment of the allowance is limited to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a bilingual or non-English foundation".
People serving elsewhere in the multiple services of the military - the ground forces, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force - can apply for a educational continuity benefit which helps with boarding and/or school charges up to a maximum rate, with a required family share of 10% for each eligible child.
Welsh Conservative assembly representative the politician said "personnel of the British armed forces relocate across the nation and the world, and the ministry has always tried to ensure that their children have availability to continuity in schooling".
"While we fully support Welsh-medium education throughout the country, it's important to remember there are two official languages in our country, English and the Welsh language, and municipal authorities and education authorities should accommodate both."
"Parents should always have the option to select the medium in which their children are instructed."
The Welsh party's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS said "not only is this a complete waste of funding, it is a slight to our tongue".
"I cannot think of any justifiable cause to be spending these funds annually, on preventing youth residing in Wales from having the opportunity to acquire the Welsh tongue."
"Bilingualism enhances life and aids the development of young people, but the UK government is obviously blind to this."
"These funds is a perfect example of the attitude of the UK political groups towards the nation and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and insults."
